In Memory of John Fisher
John Fisher, active member since 2006 and former president of the Guelph Hiking Trail Club, passed away peacefully at Hospice Wellington on August 18, 2024, in his 77th year. He was passionate about nature, art, and connecting with people throughout The Royal City. A ”trailblazer” in the true sense of the word, he was actively involved in the Guelph Hiking Trail Club as well as the Guelph to Goderich trail development.
John was a gentle and inspirational leader who didn’t shy away from differing opinions but also followed his heart when he felt that was the right thing to do. He was personally generous, open to new ideas and tireless in his pursuit to make the GHTC’s trails places of restoration and personal revitalization, especially during the COVID-19 lockdowns. John was a strong advocate for the GHTC. He worked hard to raise the club’s profile within the community and strove to make people aware of the important contribution the club makes to our city. Thanks to John’s efforts and regular delegation to Guelph City Council, our club is recognized as a key partner and stakeholder in the Guelph Trails Master Plan. John made lasting and effective connections and agreements with the City of Guelph, but he also negotiated license agreements with the Town of Milton, the Province of Ontario, the Grand River Conservation Authority, and Fusion Homes to secure access to land for hiking. John also led the way on many other projects from the planning and grant proposal stages right through to completion. The renovation of the Wellington Plaza River Trail, including the beautiful art installation along the trail; the Gosling Bridge on the James Street Trail; the Crane Park Bridge; and work to save the historic wooden trestle bridge on the Eramosa River are a few that stand out among many, many others.
The cancer cells ultimately took his physical body, but nothing could diminish his indomitable spirit. John was busy championing community projects until his last days. To recognize his dedication to his community, memorial donations to the Guelph Community Foundation – For the Love of Guelph Hiking Fund are welcomed (Donate Now - Guelph Community Foundation (canadahelps.org).
A tree will be planted in memory of John S. Fisher in the Wall-Custance Memorial Forest. Family and friends are invited to remember John by taking a forest walk at the Arboretum on the Memorial Forest Open House Day on Sunday, September 15, 2024.
There will also be a Guelph Hiking Trail Club-led memorial hike to honour John’s memory and contributions. Details will be shared by email and on the website later next week.
Two More Farewells
Over the last month, members of GHTC have been mourning the loss of not only John Fisher, but also Sue Bard and Phil Kidston - two dedicated and impactful members who helped to build the club to what it is today and who made meaningful contributions to not only this club, but also the wider community.
Sue Bard
Sue was an active and prolific leader of hikes for the GHTC. She was also the hike activities coordinator and member of the GHTC executive committee for a number of years. As such she was resourceful in encouraging hike leaders to fill the calendar with hikes and to lead quality hikes. She had many contacts in both GHTC and in other clubs. As an example, when the club announced an initiative in 2012 to hike all 21 valleys of the Niagara Escarpment between Niagara Falls and Beaver Valley, (a project we called "Valley-Bagging" as a nod to the popular "peak bagging" in the Adirondacks), Sue rounded up leaders so that GHTC managed to put on hikes in all 21 valleys in one year, when it was initially expected to take two or three years.inator and member of the GHTC executive committee for a number of years. As such she was resourceful in encouraging hike leaders to fill the calendar with hikes and to lead quality hikes. She had many contacts in both GHTC and in other clubs. As an example, when the club announced an initiative in 2012 to hike all 21 valleys of the Niagara Escarpment between Niagara Falls and Beaver Valley, (a project we called "Valley-Bagging" as a nod to the popular "peak bagging" in the Adirondacks), Sue rounded up leaders so that GHTC managed to put on hikes in all 21 valleys in one year, when it was initially expected to take two or three years. Her energy and enthusiasm will truly be missed. A Ghost Ride in Memory of Sue Bard was organized by the Guelph Coalition for Active Transportation. | Phil Kidston
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Online GHTC Trail Map and printable PDFs
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G2G Trailway - Bridging the Gap Update June 1st 2024
GHTC and other community organizations have been working for over 20 years to create a safe intuitive trailway from the Kissing Bridge Trailhead at Silver Creek Parkway to downtown Guelph.
MORE/LESS
The 2024-2027 City multi year budget did not include any funding to complete the #1 Trails Master Plan priority. At the council meeting that was reserved for public delegations regarding the budget, John Fisher, President of the Guelph Hiking Trail Club pitched the proposal that a redesignation of the project from “city building”, which relied on the city to plan, fund and install the trail would have a greater likelihood of completion if it was reclassified as a “community led ,city supported” trail installation. which would add a revenue generating asset at no cost to the taxpayer.
At council’s final budget amendment meeting in 2023,Councillor Downer proposed this motion that was unanimously supported by council.
Guelph's 2024-2027 Multi-Year Budget
Councillor Downer's motion:
1. That Park staff be directed to initiate discussions with the Guelph Trail Users Coalition to consider a Community led / City supported approach toward the implementation of the Guelph to Goderich /Trans Canada North trail connection.
The Guelph Trail Users coalition (GHTC, running clubs, bike clubs, active transportation group) held a workshop Jan16th 2024. The CEO of the Trans Canada Trail and the E.D. of G2G both spoke on behalf of the community effort which when completed would Bridge the Gap in their trail network which would connect regional trails to city trails.
The Tourism Advisory Committee passed a motion recognising the economic benefits of Bridging the Gap. A small group has been spearheading efforts to move the project forward. Meetings have been held with the city and Guelph Junction Railway and the group has documented a “Project charter” which is now being shared with city staff. The group has also developed some strong professional allies to support our community effort.
The good news is that we have scheduled survey field work to begin mid June.This will be the basis of siting the trail and will determine our next steps.
More updates to follow, but our target completion date is 2027, Guelph’s Bicentennial anniversary. Link to G2G website , Guelph Today article.
Anticipated location of G2G trail alongside Guelph Junction Railway
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Who We Are
GHTC is a volunteer organization that offers guided hikes of various lengths, throughout the year in Guelph and the surrounding area. We maintain over 80km of trails, thanks to private landowner permission, from Cambridge to Limehouse and from Guelph to West Montrose.
We offer general hikes, kids' hikes, photo hikes, trail end-to-end hikes and ski/snowshoe hikes. Members get together for fall/winter slide show presentations and various social activities.
While most of our hikes and events are free and open to the public, consider supporting the Guelph Hiking Trail Club by becoming a member! Membership fees are $25 annually and tax-deductible. Membership fees and donations are used to pay for trail maintenance, newsletter production, and liability insurance.
Support GHTC activities and Trail improvements 
Nicola Ross, the author of the Loops & Lattes series of hiking guides, will donate $5 to the Guelph Hiking Trail Club for every 'Loops & Latte' book purchased on her website. See more of her books
Partners in Hiking
Guelph Hiking Trail Club is a charitable organization Registration#11894 9395 PO Box 1, Guelph, ON, N1H 6J6 |
